By: Tristan Hill
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) –The Giving Tuesday tradition started in New York in 2012, with the simple goal of encouraging people to do good. From there it quickly grew into the worldwide event it is known as today.
In 2015 Mayor Lioneld Jordan officially declared each Tuesday after Thanksgiving as Giving Tuesday in Fayetteville.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Giving Tuesday has become even more important for many local nonprofits, including Hub of Hope, which aims to help victims of human trafficking.
“Our funding has been down with the pandemic and with everything going on, so we’re in a very crucial stage,” said Hub of Hope Executive Director Jenny Sorey.
But hub of hope isn’t the only organization in need this holiday season.
The NWA Center for Sexual Assault relies on community funding to provide medical exams for sexual assault survivors.
“We recently received a 35% cut with our federal funding that started in October,” said the Center’s Executive Director, Brandon Pettit.
These local nonprofits and others across the globe hope to use the momentum of the Giving Tuesday movement to be able to better serve their community, and for many it provides a massive amount of help.
Reports show that around 35 million people around the globe donated 2.5 billion dollars to various nonprofits and many expect this year’s to be even bigger.
“We’re hoping to raise $15,000 in just that one day tomorrow,” Sorey said.
But for organizations in NWA, a small amount can make a huge difference.
“Even a small monthly donation of a few dollars by several hundred students would really make a difference for us in regards to being able to provide services to sexaul assault survivors in NWA,” Pettit said.